In Ishmael's House

The long history of anti-Semitism in Muslim lands.

One of the 2002 Bali bombers, Amrozi bin Nurhasin, on trial in an Indonesian courtroom and headed toward execution, shouted out the message he wanted his crime to convey: “Jews: Remember Khaibar. The army of Muhammad is coming back to defeat you.”

This was his explanation of the murder of 202 people eight years ago. Of those who died, 88 were Australians, 38 Indonesians, 24 British. None were Jews. So what was Amrozi, a Java-born Indonesian, raving about? It’s a question worth considering as we assess the recent arrests for terrorist conspiracy in Ottawa. Islamic terrorists can finds motives in ancient struggles the rest of the world long ago forgot.

Amrozi was remembering an event 1,375 years in the past, when Muhammad attacked Jewish farmers living in the oasis community of Khaibar, in what is now Saudi Arabia. More than 600 Jews were killed and the survivors lost all their property and had to pledge half of their future crops to Muhammad.

Today, few Jews know the word Khaibar. But among certain Muslims it has permanent resonance. Khaibar set a precedent, endorsed by the actions of the Prophet. After Khaibar, non-Muslims who were conquered had to give up their property and pay heavy permanent tribute to their Muslim overseers. That form of discrimination lasted for centuries. It was this incident and its aftermath that nourished Amrozi’s homicidal ambition.

Muslims love to recall that Jews once lived in peace among them. Of course, Jews were always second-class citizens, their rights sharply limited. Still, it was sometimes better than settling among Christians. Bernard Lewis, a major authority on Islam, says that Jewish lives under Islam were never as bad as in Christendom at its worst, or as good as in Christendom at its best.

Well before Israel’s creation in 1948, Arabs were identifying Jews as enemies.

In the 20th century, Arab hostility to Jews took an ugly turn. Some claim that the new state of Israel “caused” the trouble. But well before Israel’s creation in 1948, Arabs were identifying Jews as enemies.

In 1910, in the now-Iranian city of Shiraz, mobs robbed and destroyed 5,000 Jewish homes, with the encouragement of soldiers. In 1922, in Yemen, an old decree permitting the forcible conversion of Jewish orphans to Islam was reintroduced. The government searched towns and villages for children without fathers, so that they could be given Muslim instruction. The children were chained and imprisoned till they agreed to convert. In 1936 in Iraq, under Nazi influence, Jews were limited by quota in the public schools, Hebrew teaching was banned in Jewish schools and Jewish newspapers were shut down.

Anti-Semitism intensified when Israel was created, and grew still worse after Israel won the Six-Day War of 1967. By the 1970s, about 800,000 Jews, perhaps more, had been forcibly exiled from Arab countries, their property seized. According to the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC), they lost property now valued at well over $100-billion.

A majority of these exiles settled in Israel. In the 1950s, the UN recognized them as refugees and compensation was discussed. Later, the Arab states turned the UN against Israel and, by association, against Jewish refugees. In 1975, the General Assembly condemned Zionism as “racism and racial discrimination.” Various political leaders in the West (notably Irwin Cotler, the former justice minister of Canada) have continued to argue for compensation. But after the 1975 resolution, as Gilbert notes, that idea was unlikely to receive any UN support.

The number of Jews displaced by the Arabs in the 20th century roughly equals the number of Palestinians displaced by Israel. But the plight of the Palestinians has received several hundred times as much publicity. One reason is the constant propaganda from Muslim states and their admirers in the West. Another is that many Jews, unlike Palestinians, don’t want to be called refugees.

Gilbert quotes an Iraqi Jew, Eli Timan, living in London: “The difference is that we got on with our life, worked hard and progressed so that today there is not a single Jewish refugee from Arab lands.” Those who suggest that this model be copied elsewhere will of course be condemned as heartless bigots.

About the Author

Visitor Comments: 13

(13)
M. Hussein,
February 1, 2012 5:11 PM

jewish books in arabic

Arabs of today know nothing about Jewish Thought, culture and civilization. They need authentic Jewish Books translated into Arabic to read. Jews do nearly nothing on this aspect. I translated Memonides Mishneh Torah from Hebrew into Arabic, Martin Buber's Hasidism and Modern Man and Jacobs' The Jewish Law into wonderful Arabic. My translations are waiting on my computer an interested Jew to come and say, do you need a help to publish your translations Mohammad?

(12)
Mike Lampard,
October 10, 2010 10:04 AM

Very good article

and interesting! It shows the stupidity of the UN, and national governments who send delegates to the UN and how shallow their thinking is! There is no doubt about it that we are entering very evil times. If the Un utterly fails to recognize the fairness of the jewish/israeli cause, then there is absolutely no hope for any decisions of integriity coming out of the UN.

(11)
Bobby 5000,
October 9, 2010 1:55 AM

how about the inquisition and the holocaust

To suggest that Jews suffered more in Moslem countries than Christian is a gross distortion of history. Jews have suffered under Christian rule in many contexts.
1. Spain Judaism under Moslem rule was considered the golden age. Scholarship flourished, Jews faced few restrictions until the Catholics took control and instituted the inquisition. Jews were tortured until they converted and those who remained Jews expelled.
2. Thassonlika was a vibrant city under primarily Moslem rule.
3. Holocaust Christians blamed Jews for financial problems and the virulent anti-semitism in Germany and Poland turned to large-scale murder
4. Pogroms in Russia reflected the belief that Jews killed Christ and that Jews were pre-occupied with money.
The recent anti-semitism in Arab countries is sad but to say Jews have faced less discrmination under Christian rule is historically wrong.
The persistent suffering and discrmination under boht Christian and Moslem rule shows the necessity of a Jewish state.

(10)
Marian,
October 4, 2010 5:03 PM

I am a Catholic reader of aish.com. They still call us "Crusaders". The Crusades ended CENTURIES ago and these people still have not progressed beyond the Dark Ages.....

(9)
Anonymous,
October 4, 2010 12:20 PM

RJMosk... Look it up

“While the term's etymology might suggest that antisemitism is directed against all Semitic peoples, the term was coined in the late 19th century in Germany as a more scientific-sounding term for Judenhass ("Jew-hatred"), and that has been its normal use since then.”
Wikipedia

(8)
Shirlee Rosenthal,
October 4, 2010 2:17 AM

PEACE

Someday we will have it,but not in our lifetime. Maybe to those who have not been born yet. I am sad about this. Shirlee Let our people know Shalom.

(7)
Anonymous,
October 4, 2010 1:56 AM

UN Resolution

It should also be noted that (acc to wikipedia) the 1975 UN Resolution equating Zionism with Racism was repealed in 1991 with UN General Assembly Resolution 46/86. (Not sure if this effects the author's point however).

(6)
Joseph Abdel Wahed,
October 3, 2010 11:32 PM

Anti Semitism in the Arab Muslim world

As an indigenous Egyptian Jew, I can assure that not all Muslims are decent. They slaughter each other in Algeria (200,000 murdered), they decapitate their Muslim brothers, they stone to death women who commit adultery, they send suicide bombers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Tel Aviv, London, New York, Bali, Kenya, Indonesia, Haifa, Cairo and other places.
Is this evidence of "decency?" In Egypt and other Arab countries we were treated with contempt since the 7th century, forced to pay a special tax and forced to obey harsh laws from the Koran since we were "sons of pigs and monkeys." Until the 19th century, we were forced to live in ghettos, our homes had to be lower than those of Moslems, etc etc, ad nauseum. It was like hell in Dante's Inferno
Decent Moslems are silent about all what they did to us, not only in olden times, but even now. And, in case you don't know, anti Semitism is virulent in Arab/Muslim countries with the media, the schools, the mosques, the authorities insulting us and Israel nearly every day of the week.
It's a disgrace and a crime against humanity to see such hate existing today. HATE is a weapon of mass destruction.,

(5)
Chatzkel,
October 3, 2010 9:51 PM

Anti-semitism

#1 - It has always, since the invention of the term, referred to hatred of Jews, common Semitic roots notwithstanding.

(4)
Anonymous,
October 3, 2010 8:39 PM

One never thinks to ask the question "whose children are these?" if one knows them to be of the same orgin.

(3)
Anonymous,
October 3, 2010 8:00 PM

Wilhelm Marr

#1: Google Wilhelm Marr. He invented the term "antisemitism" in 1879.

(2)
Sel,
October 3, 2010 7:08 PM

Most Moslems are decent

Most Moslems are decent and do DENY a civil and social affinity with their mad men brothers and ignorant Moslem barbarians that are causing havoc around the world.
The PROBLEM is that a STRONG MAJORITY of otherwise decent moslems do NOT STAND UP to the ignorant brutes that claim to represent Islam.
Unfortunately the situation is SIMILAR to our own situation in the world prior to and many instances after WWII and even to the present day....

(1)
RJMosk,
October 3, 2010 6:53 PM

Robert Fulford's misuse of term 'antisemitism' .

Mr. Fulford's misuse of the term 'antisemitism' regarding the tribal connection between Arabs and Jews is glaringly obvious in this article. This is a common term used frequently by Jews but nevertheless incorrect. Arabs and Jews are both Semitic people, originally from southeastern Asia.. Arabs and Jews are of the same tribe. The term 'anti-Arab' or 'anti-Jew' comes closer to the true meaning of the term 'semitic' . Arabs and Jews are tribal brothers and sisters, and not unlike other families, have serious differences, quarrels, customs and beliefs. Thre is much to be gained by emphasizing the similarities and not their differences.
Antisemitism = against Arabs and Jews.

I'm told that it's a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. This puzzles me, because to my understanding, it is not considered a good thing to become intoxicated, period.

One of the characteristics of the at-risk youth is their use of drugs, including alcohol. In my experience, getting drunk doesn't reveal secrets. It makes people act stupid and irresponsible, doing things they would never do if they were sober. Also, I know a lot about the horrible health effects of abusing alcohol, because I work at a research center that focuses on addiction and substance abuse.

Also, I am an alcoholic, which means that if I drink, very bad things happen. I have not had a drink in 22 years, and I have no intention of starting now. Surely there must be instances where a person is excused from the obligation to drink. I don't see how Judaism could ever promote the idea of getting drunk. It just doesn't seem right.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Putting aside for a moment all the spiritual and philosophical reasons for getting drunk on Purim, this remains an issue of common sense. Of course, teenagers should be warned of the dangers of acute alcohol ingestion. Of course, nobody should drink and drive. Of course, nobody should become so drunk to the point of negligence in performing mitzvot. And of course, a recovering alcoholic should not partake of alcohol on Purim.

Indeed, the Code of Jewish Law explicitly says that if one suspects the drinking may affect him negatively, then he should NOT drink.

Getting drunk on Purim is actually one of the most difficult mitzvot to do correctly. A person should only drink if it will lead to positive spiritual results - e.g. under the loosening affect of the alcohol, greater awareness will surface of the love for God and Torah found deep in the heart. (Perhaps if we were on a higher spiritual level, we wouldn't need to get drunk!)

Yet the Talmud still speaks of an obligation on Purim of "not knowing the difference between Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman." How then should a person who doesn't drink get the point of “not knowing”? Simple - just go to sleep! (Rama - OC 695:2)

All this applies to individuals. But the question remains - does drinking on Purim adversely affect the collective social health of the Jewish community?

The aversion to alcoholism is engrained into Jewish consciousness from a number of Biblical and Talmudic sources. There are the rebuking words of prophets - Isaiah 28:1, Hosea 3:1 with Rashi, and Amos 6:6, and the Zohar says that "The wicked stray after wine" (Midrash Ne'alam Parshat Vayera).

It is well known that the rate of alcoholism among Jews has historically been very low. Numerous medical, psychological and sociological studies have confirmed this. The connection between Judaism and sobriety is so evident, that the following conversation is reported by Lawrence Kelemen in "Permission to Receive":

When Dr. Mark Keller, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, commented that "practically all Jews do drink, and yet all the world knows that Jews hardly ever become alcoholics," his colleague, Dr. Howard Haggard, director of Yale's Laboratory of Applied Physiology, jokingly proposed converting alcoholics to the Jewish religion in order to immerse them in a culture with healthy attitudes toward drinking!

Perhaps we could suggest that it is precisely because of the use of alcohol in traditional ceremonies (Kiddush, Bris, Purim, etc.), that Jews experience such low rates of alcoholism. This ceremonial usage may actually act like an inoculation - i.e. injecting a safe amount that keeps the disease away.

Of course, as we said earlier, all this needs to be monitored with good common sense. Yet in my personal experience - having been in the company of Torah scholars who were totally drunk on Purim - they acted with extreme gentleness and joy. Amid the Jewish songs and beautiful words of Torah, every year the event is, for me, very special.

Adar 12 marks the dedication of Herod's renovations on the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 11 BCE. Herod was king of Judea in the first century BCE who constructed grand projects like the fortresses at Masada and Herodium, the city of Caesarea, and fortifications around the old city of Jerusalem. The most ambitious of Herod's projects was the re-building of the Temple, which was in disrepair after standing over 300 years. Herod's renovations included a huge man-made platform that remains today the largest man-made platform in the world. It took 10,000 men 10 years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount; the Western Wall that we know today is part of that retaining wall. The Temple itself was a phenomenal site, covered in gold and marble. As the Talmud says, "He who has not seen Herod's building, has never in his life seen a truly grand building."

Some people gauge the value of themselves by what they own. But in reality, the entire concept of ownership of possessions is based on an illusion. When you obtain a material object, it does not become part of you. Ownership is merely your right to use specific objects whenever you wish.

How unfortunate is the person who has an ambition to cleave to something impossible to cleave to! Such a person will not obtain what he desires and will experience suffering.

Fortunate is the person whose ambition it is to acquire personal growth that is independent of external factors. Such a person will lead a happy and rewarding life.

With exercising patience you could have saved yourself 400 zuzim (Berachos 20a).

This Talmudic proverb arose from a case where someone was fined 400 zuzim because he acted in undue haste and insulted some one.

I was once pulling into a parking lot. Since I was a bit late for an important appointment, I was terribly annoyed that the lead car in the procession was creeping at a snail's pace. The driver immediately in front of me was showing his impatience by sounding his horn. In my aggravation, I wanted to join him, but I saw no real purpose in adding to the cacophony.

When the lead driver finally pulled into a parking space, I saw a wheelchair symbol on his rear license plate. He was handicapped and was obviously in need of the nearest parking space. I felt bad that I had harbored such hostile feelings about him, but was gratified that I had not sounded my horn, because then I would really have felt guilty for my lack of consideration.

This incident has helped me to delay my reactions to other frustrating situations until I have more time to evaluate all the circumstances. My motives do not stem from lofty principles, but from my desire to avoid having to feel guilt and remorse for having been foolish or inconsiderate.

Today I shall...

try to withhold impulsive reaction, bearing in mind that a hasty act performed without full knowledge of all the circumstances may cause me much distress.

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